Start A Forum With A Small Budget (And Still Stand Out)

Learn how to create your first forum and go live for under fifty bucks – and do it today

What if I told you it’s possible to create your own forum today? Do I have your attention?

If you want a breathtakingly modern forum, built on a responsive design, you would think that it would cost quite a bit. A vBulletin or Xenforo license usually runs a couple hundred alone – and that’s leaving out the fact that you’ll also need a domain, web hosting, and design tweaks. Costs can add up. If you want to see what it takes to run a forum without a large investment, this tutorial will tell you everything you need to know.

Fortunately, there is free forum software available. One of the most popular free forum scripts is phpBB. It is an open-source script that will allow you to get up and running quickly. Cost = $0.

What you want to do now is get a domain. If you already have one, you’re one step ahead. If you don’t, registering a domain is extremely simple. You’ll now want to get your hosting account. If you host with us, we can walk you through all of these steps. We can also install the forum software for you. Plus, with our shared hosting package, you get a free domain as well. Cost so far = $24.95.

We’ve now only spent a little over $20. We have a new domain, web hosting, and our forum script installed. Now, if you want to improve the design of your forum, there are a number of styles for phpBB, but there was one I found in particular that stood out. The Metro Theme by PixelGoose has a modern, Windows 8 look to it. Plus, it’s only $15. So, for a grand total of $39.95 you have been able to get a domain name, hosting, and a professional, responsive design for your new forum.